How to Take It

The online assessment is now available for free to any church or leader wanting to use it! It is accessible at thrivingsmallgroups.com.

Questions & Answers

What churches can benefit the most from having their leaders take the assessment?

Churches who will benefit the most from the assessment are those that have established small groups in order to reach out, enfold their members and multiply leaders. Churches that have groups focused solely on Bible study or Christian growth will not find the assessment as helpful.

Which leaders should take the assessment?

All leaders of groups with one or more of the following objectives (outreach, assimilation, and leadership multiplication) should take the assessment.

What if a group has more than one leader?

Many groups are led by a couple or a team of different individuals. When this is the case, each of the leaders should take the assessment. The assessment is more of a leadership assessment than a group assessment, so different leaders of the same group can get significantly different results. Their results will show each of them where to focus to take their leadership and their group life to the next level.

What if a person is leading more than one group?

It is common in most churches for some people to lead more than one group. For example, perhaps someone might lead a coed group in the evening and a women’s or men’s group in the morning. If you are one of these leaders who lead more than one group, we recommend that you take assessment for each group reporting your leadership behaviors for each of the respective groups.

Should our support/recovery group leaders take the assessment?

If your support/recovery groups include an emphasis on outreach or leadership multiplication, their leaders will benefit from the assessment.

I’m a small group leader and my church is not taking the assessment. Can I take the online assessment myself, or can I only take it if my church is taking the assessment?

Previously the online assessment was only available to small group leaders if their church’s small group ministry had paid for the assessment. The assessment is currently available for free for any leader wanting to improve their group life and growth!

What kind of statistical analysis underlies the assessment?

The factor analysis and path analysis that underlie the assessment are based on rigorous statistical standards. The assessment has gone through ten rounds of data collection, analysis and revisions to reach its current level of excellence and usefulness. Some of this is explained in the Small Group, Big Impact book and its endnotes. More detailed statistical background is outlined in Jim Egli’s doctoral dissertation, although the tools have undergone significant analysis and improvement subsequent to that round of the research. We are continuing to improve the factors and make new discoveries as we test new questions, factors, and different dimensions of small group health and growth.